


Echolocation (Starlight Brigade AU)

by lunarblazes



Category: Starlight Brigade - TWRP ft. Dan Avidan (Music Video), TWRP | Tupper Ware Remix Party (Band)
Genre: I also have no idea how long this’ll be WHOOP, I’ll tr to update this every week until I finish the story I have in mind, I’m scared to post this lmao, but I’m an idiot so that might not be the case, first fic woooooooo, why did I include Foster? Because I’m lazy and didn’t wanna make an oc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:06:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22155241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarblazes/pseuds/lunarblazes
Summary: Strive’s planet is under attack, and the Guardians are supposed to not let that happen. They do their best, but only so much can be done by five new members against an unstoppable force of nature.But maybe something can be done for the survivor.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28





	1. Camping

Strive’s 17th birthday was going great. His parents had let him out of the house, free from working for the day, and he’d immediately went to get Foster, his best friend. The two had big plans for the day, most of which included exploring. The big woods behind Strive’s house were a prime target, and Foster had brought a tent. 

The woods were said to be magical, in a way, that whoever could grasp its secrets would be granted power, but neither of them cared about that. The promise of adventure was more than enough for them to be lured in, even if they suspected that nothing would be in there that they hadn’t seen. 

The two were now standing at the edge of the forest, doing a last check through their stuff. “You do have the tent, right?” Strive inquired. 

Foster scoffed. “Of course I do, you dumbass. I’m not stupid.”

“Well, could’ve fooled me!” Strive grinned, punching his friend’s shoulder lightly. “C’mon!” He ran into the forest, looking back smugly. 

“Oh, fuck you, Strive- I’m coming!” Foster nearly tripped over himself hauling the tent back onto his back while simultaneously running forward, but managed to save face just in time.

They wandered for a bit (the forest didn’t really have a path, that was part of the adventure) before Strive located a small river. It was surrounded by ferns and blue vines growing on towering trees, and Strive looked up in awe, gaping at the huge branches and flowers dripping off of them. “Foster, are you seeing this?”

His friend was just entering the clearing, and gasped softly as he caught a view of what Strive was seeing. “Yeah,” he gaped, eyes wide as saucers, “I see it.”

“Gods, I’m so glad we did this.” Strive tore his gaze away from the canopy above them and peered down the length of the river. “Do you think we should use this as a little path? It might make it easier to figure out where we are, make it harder to get lost.”

“Yeah, that seems like a good idea.”

Once the two were done staring at the beautiful trees, they continued down the riverbank, careful not to fall in. The shallow water probably wasn’t much of a threat, but getting wet in a cold forest wasn’t ideal for either of them. Muddy sand and sulfur squished under their boots as they walked, and Foster wouldn’t stop giggling at the sounds it made. Strive rolled his eyes at first, but the laughter was contagious, and soon they were both laughing uproariously at nothing really, just laughing for the sake of it, in the joy of being free in the forest for a night and being with each other.

Foster stopped for a moment after they’d settled down. “Let’s set up camp here, I think the stars are about to come out.” 

“But shouldn’t we find an empty field to camp in? Nights are always better when you can see the sky!” 

“I mean, you’re right, but do we want to be wandering around after dark?”

“Hmmm, good point. Should we split up for a few minutes? I go and look for a clearing and you stay here and set up?”

“Ehhhhh…that seems a bit dangerous. Did you get the communicators?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Strive said, digging through his bag, “mmmmm…there!” He pulled two black boxes with square screens out of his bag, carefully flicking a switch. The boxes’ screens flickered blue, but faded quickly. “Ugh, aren’t these supposed to be new? You know, like a birthday present?” Strive smacked them gently, and their weak glow returned. “Okay, cool! They, um, they work.” He handed one to Foster. “There ya go! Are we gonna do this?”

Foster flashed a smile at his friend. “We gotta test em out somehow, don’t we? I’m ready. Call me if you find something!”

Strive nodded. “Hear ya loud and clear!” He gave a little fake salute before turning and bolting down the riverbank.

“Jeez, Strive, be careful! The sand isn’t stable you DOPE!” Foster called after him. “Don’t wanna get dunked!”

“Did he even hear me? Probably not.” Gods, that kid is gonna be the death of me someday.” He muttered, as if he wouldn’t do the same.

Strive was elated. He loved running, and running in this forest was exhilarating, the breeze ruffling his hair and the leaves whipping his knees as he crashed through the brush. He’d gone off river, but he figured that as long as he could see it, he’d be okay to continue.

The trees thinned out as he ran, and he skidded to a halt in a small clearing. Tall grass tickled his knees and the wind blew harder without the shelter of the trees. Mushrooms in the branches were beginning to light up in the absence of daylight. The rosy sunset had just begun to fade, leaving the blank gray of twilight.

It was beautiful, and Strive couldn’t wait to tell Foster. “Hey! Foster, I found a clearing! It’s only a little bit away, and wow, it’s really pretty. I’m coming back to get you now, tell me what’s up!”

He stood in the clearing for a little while longer, watching the first stars show up. There wasn’t a response from his communicator, which was a little off, but he figured that Foster had just forgotten or been busy with something. “Foster, it’s Strive. You getting this?”

Strive started back towards the campsite, not running as fast this time. Dread began to take a bit of a hold on him. Foster still hadn’t answered. Was this a prank? “Foster, if this is a prank, I’m going to kill you.” He chewed his lip. This wasn’t sitting well, his friend wouldn’t hold a prank that would make him this nervous. They might have joked around about hating each other, but Foster was too kind to do this. It was a breach of trust, and a serious one at that. 

Please let him be okay.

As soon as that thought entered Strive’s head, something came shooting out of the bushes, nearly crashing into him. “HEY! WHAT-?” It was Foster, bolting out of the brush in a panic.

“FOSTER, WHA-?”

“WE HAVE TO LEAVE, NOW!”

“WHY?!” As Foster ran, Strive lagged behind a bit, still shocked and confused. “WHERE’S THE TENT? AND YOUR COMMUNICATOR?”

They continued to sprint away from something, Strive didn’t even know what it was, but Foster didn’t pause to answer. “Something bad showed up and I didn’t know what to do, I don’t know what it is and I don’t know where it came from. It was dark, just pure black, and it came outta nowhere and just,” he gestured wildly as he ran, “absorbed the campsite? And then it reached out for me and the trees were falling and I just...all I could do was run and hope I ran into you.”

Strive was breathless, panting so hard it was almost impossible to talk. He leaned against a tree, muscles aching. “Foster...are...you serious? You’re not...not joking, right?”

Foster finally stopped and looked Strive dead in the eyes. “I’m serious, I’m not pulling your leg. I don’t know what that was, but I saw it, and it’s still there.”

As if on cue, a rustle in the bushes began, and the two whirled around, hearts pounding. “What’s that?” Strive whispered.

A small rodent crawled out of the bushes, chirping happily. Strive exhaled in relief, and Foster bent over, hand on his core.

But they weren’t out of the woods yet.

A quiet settled over the whole forest, eerily peaceful. Nothing made a sound as the night sky revealed itself in full, Strive surmised from the glimpses of starlight between the thick canopy of leaves. What’s going on? Why is it so quiet? 

He glanced over at Foster, trying to find some kind of comfort. Foster looked just as unsettled as he was, unmoving in his place near a small fern. It seemed like it had been ages since they were laughing near the river, but only an hour or two had passed.

Strive opened his mouth to say something, anything to break the silence, but it was broken for him. A wave of something crashed over the brush next to Foster, making him hop away in fear. “STRIVE, RUN! I’LL BE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!”

Strive could see that Foster hadn’t been lying. A mass of pure darkness was almost pulsing through the forest, absorbing all in its path with small, spindly threads. It was as if the night sky’s stars had gone out, and a piece had fallen. He didn’t need to be asked twice. He ran as fast as his aching lungs would let him, flying through the woods, reckless with fear.

There was still a part of his mind that said, “This isn’t real. This would never happen. Your eyes are lying.” But the threads were getting closer, and Foster was having trouble keeping up. Strive yelled out to him, “FOSTER, PLEASE, COME ON!” His friend was trying, but he couldn’t, he just couldn’t keep going.

He fell, tripping on a rock.

Strive screamed. “FOSTER, PLEASE!”

The threads kept advancing.

And Foster disappeared.

Strive almost threw up, right then and there. The voice in his head was still in denial, nothing bad had happened, everything was okay, Foster was safe and at the campsite. Strive was choking on air, built up sobs trying to claw out of his throat as he kept running, kept going. 

The mass grew bigger, hungrier behind him. There was no way he could outrun this. He yanked a branch off a nearby tree. It was heavy, and he took a deep breath. This is the end, isn’t it?

Strive stopped running and turned to face the advancing mass, brandishing the branch like a sword. His core glowed an icy blue, and he charged the void, trying to do something against whatever this was. The branch connected with it, to his shock, and it recoiled.

Well. What an end this will be.

Strive set his jaw and continued to try and fend off the dark.

The threads grabbed his branch and arms. Their touch burned his skin like acid, and he couldn’t help but scream.

There was nothing left, he was sure. The blackness overhead was the only thing in existence now. 

But he was still here, wasn’t he? 

He grabbed the threads and began to rip ferociously at them, desperate to prove that he existed. That he was here, and it wouldn’t take everything from existing. 

•


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A simple race ends up a race against time.

Brian was a bit nervous about this, though he’d never admit it out loud. Their first mission after the binding promised to be uneventful, just a quick patrol into the Andromeda System, then back. The crew seemed excited as usual. Sung was bouncing around on his heels, one of his nervous tics, Brian recalled, and Phobos was playing with his pilot helmet’s strap, trying to pay attention to their instructor. The council representative was talking about standard mission protocol, even though they were going to a peaceful galaxy, and Meouch was clearly bored by it, slumping over with his arms crossed. Havve gave him a sharp poke, a warning to pay attention before he was caught, and Meouch took the hint, though not without a fair bit of complaining under his breath.

The representative gave the fakest smile Brian had ever seen before saying, “That will be all, guardians! Your first mission has begun,” in a cheery, plastic voice. 

Sung practically exploded out of his place, sprinting towards the hangar breathlessly. Phobos sighed and ran after him, clearly harboring some secret excitement of his own despite his apparent exasperation. Meouch stretched and yawned, but followed the other two out when his curiousness outgrew Brian and Havve’s patience. Havve nodded at him to go ahead, and hesitantly he took the opportunity. He heard the robot’s heavy footsteps thumping against the soft ground behind him.

Their ships were quite small, but they worked well. Sitting in the hangar, they looked new and beautiful, not quite beat enough to justify being used in such a rough way, but nevertheless, the pilots boarded them apprehensively. 

Brian’s had a windshield that closed around him as he sat in the pilot’s chair. He looked through the controls. They seemed similar enough to their training simulator, as they were probably intended to resemble each other (since that’s what a simulator does). He located and switched on his comm link, and the transmission button glowed a faint yellow before Sung’s excited face appeared in his cockpit.

Brian sighed. Sung grinned wider. “I’ll put on my helmet later, don’t worry, Brian!”

Meouch’s purple signal entered the link as his screen appeared as well. He glimpsed Sung’s unhelmeted face and immediately began, “Sung, put-“ only to be cut off by Sung’s reply, “Don’t worry, Commander, I’ll put it on later,” he winked.

A gold signal appeared on their screens, and Phobos’ helmet materialized in front of them. He had a special helmet for pilot business (it was part of the job protocol), and as soon as he entered the conversation, Sung quickly grabbed and strapped on his helmet. Brian laughed quietly. Disappointed mom Phobos always gets him to soften up…

Havve came at last after checking all the diagnostics and running through the map one last time, making sure they could get to the Andromeda System safely. His red eyes glowed against the shine of his ship as he boarded, casting random shadows on the walls. His red signal popped up on the comm link, and he simply said, “TEST.” 

Everyone responded quickly. “Havve! There you are!”  
“Thought you weren’t coming, dude. Kept us waitin’.”  
Phobos and Brian nodded. They didn’t talk, (Brian was mute and Phobos had taken a vow of silence) but Havve took their nods to mean that they’d heard him. “ALL RIGHT, EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE CLEAR FOR TAKEOFF.”

“So then, can we take off sometime in the next CENTURY?” Sung’s bouncing had reached its impatient high, and he was raring to go.

Brian couldn’t hold back a little laugh as Phobos rolled his eyes. The hangar manager cleared them for takeoff, and off they went, Sung heading their small fleet. Phobos flew slightly behind him, but Meouch was gaining on them. He couldn’t stand being behind, so when he activated his comm link, Brian knew what he was going to do.

“Hey, Suuuuung?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Bet you can’t make it to that asteroid belt before I do!”  
“Oh, you’re on, fuzzball!”

Havve’s monotone cut through the channel. “NO RACING OFF THE PATH TO ANDROMEDA. WE STILL NEED TO GET THERE AND SEE IF ANYONE NEEDS HELP.” His red eyes shone a bit brighter in what looked like mischief. “BUT,” he said, robotic voice hiding a hint of a tease, “I’M PUTTING MY MONEY ON SUNG.”

Meouch’s mane bristled with his temper. “Aw, fuck you! I’m totally gonna kick his ass!”

Sung laughed, clear and loud. “When do we start,” he put on a posh accent, mocking his companion, “my good Commander?”

“Now!!”

“Oh, fuck, okay-!”

The two ships burst forward, speeding ahead of the rest of the fleet. Soon they’d hit the asteroid belt, but nobody could see who won. Brian tilted his head in a question at the comm link, and Phobos held up a little ‘m’ sign. Havve groaned metallically, and Brian laughed sharply. The lion wouldn’t let this die down for at least a year. Havve knew it too, but he continued. 

“WOOOOO!” Meouch’s voice exploded across the comm, triumphant and smug. “TOLD YOU I’D FLAME HIM!”

“Oh, sure, Meouch. Lucky run.” Sung replied, a bit salty, Brian gauged from his furrowed brow. “Wanna prove it with another round?” He leaned forward in his seat, hand folded under his chin.

“WE’RE ABOUT TO BE IN THE ANDROMEDA SYSTEM, YOU TWO. BETTER MAKE WHATEVER YOU DO QUICK.” 

Sung have a small salute before steering his ship into a starting position. “Will do! We’ll go to that little planet there, see it Meouch?”

“The orangey one? With the tan spots?”

“Yeah! On three-“

“Three!”

“MEOUCH, STOP DOING THAT!” 

And with that, the two were speeding away again. Brian’s console beeped with a location alert. They were in the Andromeda System now, and Brian had to admit it was beautiful. Stars smattered the space between planets, and the planets were beautiful. He’d never been in a real system before; the Guardian’s Hub was in a bit of an isolated spot. They lived off the artifact, with no need for a star’s energy, though Brian had always been fascinated by them. How could you not be? They twinkled and burned like they had a life of their own.

Havve must have noticed his wonder, because he softened up a bit on the restrictions for a bit, instead opting for a bit of information on the planets as they floated. He pointed to the orangey one that Sung and Meouch were racing to. “THAT ONE’S CALLED MARAI, IT’S A DESERT PLANET WITH STRONG WINDS AND A HEAVY ATMOSPHERE. NO KNOWN LIFE INHABITS MARAI.”

But Brian’s attention was drawn to a blue and purple planet behind him. He turned his ship towards it, staring at it. There was nothing incredibly apparent about it, but something felt important here… A bad feeling was gathering in his chest, filling it with a tension that could only lead him into a place filled with instinct. He glanced down at the comm link. Nobody else seemed to be on edge.

He picked at the back of his hand, his gaze shooting back to the planet. This was wrong, something was wrong...but shouldn’t it have been Sung who noticed? He was always better at the sensing part of this…

All at once, the yellow diamond on the back of Brian’s hand lit up so fiercely that it almost hurt. He inhaled sharply in surprise, and flashed his hand at the comm. Phobos straightened in his chair as he noticed the symbol on his screen, and Havve’s eyes flashed gold for a second before returning to red. 

“SUNG, MEOUCH, SOMETHING’S UP. BRIAN’S SIGNAL’S BEEN ACTIVATED.”

Immediately, the two racers were at attention, flitting in next to Brian in an instant. “What happened?” Meouch inquired, his joking nature hidden for now.

“WE DON’T KNOW-“

And then the purple planet was consumed before them.

It was like the void of space around them had leaked into the planet’s very being. It was disappearing, drowning in the darkness. Sung gasped. “Is that...I thought this was a peaceful system?”

“I DID TOO, BUT NEVERTHELESS WE NEED TO HELP THEM AS BEST WE CAN.”

“Can we help that? It looks…” Meouch hesitated. “Bad.”

“I mean, it’s what we were trained for. We can at least try, right?”

“EVERYONE- YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.”

And they did. They got into formation immediately, but something still felt wrong to Brian. Was anyone even alive there?

Sung’s shield went up around them as he lead them in, and Havve’s ship glowed with a golden light as he deployed his weapons. Brian did the same, taking a deep breath as he used the artifact’s power. It always felt weird, doing this. It made him feel awkward, like nothing would happen and he’d be useless without it. But the power always came, and it served him well.

They were entering the atmosphere now, or what used to be the atmosphere. Black fog was clouding around Sung’s gold shield, and Phobos reached out to summon a shield and help him. Meouch was still unsure of what to do, since there wasn't really anything to head on fight yet. In trainings, Havve and Meouch would serve as a sort of attacking decoy while Brian flitted around their target, doing damage from the shadows. There was nothing to distract here, only the roar of a dying planet.

They hadn’t expected Boredom to show up this early, and it had been their mistake. But maybe there was something to be saved. Just maybe.

Brian’s hand stung again as they hit the surface of the planet. They were in what looked like it had been a forest, with tress down everywhere and smoke rising in the air, emanating from the earth itself it seemed. And then Brian saw it. 

Before them was a cocoon, a spindly black web of Boredom. This was its core, the place it had come from.

They couldn’t penetrate that maze; the planet was too far gone for them to save it. Brian gripped his console tightly, knuckles going white. Something had called him here, and he wasn’t leaving until he found something that could be saved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This next part I wrote while camping and bored out of my mind so uhhhhhhhhhh HOPEFULLY YOU LIKE IT! Thanks for reading!!!


	3. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian finds what was calling him.

“Is there any way we can contain it?” Sung’s voice was unnaturally quiet, for him.

“I...don’t know,” Meouch responded. “I don’t know if a maze like that can be contained, by us at least…”

Brian rapped his knuckles on his console pensively. They wouldn’t be able to do much in their shuttles, but if he got out, he might be able to do more. His shield work wasn’t as good as Phobos or Sung’s, but he could still protect himself from this, right? 

Before he could change his mind, he’d put on his boarding helmet and connected the comms into it. “Brian, what the fuck?” Meouch’s startled voice crackled through as he shoved open his cockpit window. This was, in all honesty, a terrible idea, but he hadn’t been able to let go of the hope that someone could be here. Gods, what was he doing? Sung was the impulsively hopeful one! Why was he doing this? But there was no going back now. He slid off the roof onto the surface of the ravaged planet. The air burned his skin like pellets of hail, and he covered his face against the raging maelstrom. His shield went up with a comforting glow as the others’ stunned silence hung in his helmet.

The cocoon was just across the way, in the rubble of a destroyed wood. Brian knew he had to get in there if he had any hope of finding survivors. He didn’t hesitate even as Sung shook off his shock with a yelp as he realized what Brian was doing. “BRIAN, STOP! THAT’S PURE BOREDOM, YOU CAN’T-“

Brian muted his comm and sprinted across the storm, jumping over tree trunks and a ruined river. He knew the other pilots wouldn’t want him to do this, hell, he didn’t really want him to do this, but something told him that he had to.

And then he finally figured out what he was looking for. He almost froze, shocked at what was happening. The yellow diamond on his hand pulsed twice as if to confirm what he already knew, that this was what was calling him.

A tiny light was cutting through the cocoon. It was flickering and weak, but it was there. Brian heard desperate and guttural cries coming from the inside as it tried to fight the dark that was infinitely more powerful and terrifying than it, but it was shockingly succeeding thus far. Something about the way the voice seemed to claw forth from its owner’s throat told Brian that it wouldn’t hold much longer, and he was spurred into action once more.

He’d need a weapon to cut through the threads holding the light in, which luckily was his specialty. It would be tricky, maintaining his shield and a weapon at the same time, but he could probably manage it. Maybe. It wasn’t like he had a choice, either way- this thing had called him specifically from halfway across space for help. It was clearly determined to survive.

He inhaled sharply as a gold dagger appeared in his palm. His head pounded for a split second, but the pain faded quickly. Fuck. That was his first warning that he was channeling too much of the artifact’s power, but it wasn’t urgent yet. Brian smashed into the cocoon, ferociously diving towards that light.

He had only gotten a few feet in before the light tumbled forward, freezing him in his tracks. A person was tied to it, the light flickering from his chest as he hacked at the threads still grasping at his legs and ankles with what seemed to be a stub of a branch. He was breathing hard, rasping out one word over and over- Brian couldn’t make it out.

He slowly switched his comms back on and dove at the remaining threads. The person flinched violently at his intrusion, unsure and terrified. “N- no, no, no, no,” he spoke as if each word took strength that he’d never get again, “no, stop, stop, STOP IT!”

The poor kid was desperately struggling against the threads and against Brian, which wasn’t what he’d expected, but it was understandable. An open cut over his right eye smeared spindly black veins into his face, probably rendering that eye useless, and his other eye was filled to the brim with tears. 

His comms were crackling with noise again, but he wasn’t in a position to pay attention to them right now. He was fighting the kid’s desperation and the Boredom’s hunger to have this dying light. With a last lunge at a cord tugging at the boy’s leg, Brian freed him. He went rigid, and Brian reached to intercept his fall to the ground as best he could. 

A gold light made it before he did. It was Phobos, he realized as he looked at the familiar helmet shape, who had made a shield around the hostage. Judging from Phobos’ lack of breath, it was a healing one. Brian nodded to him as he grabbed the boy’s body from the ground and struggled to his feet. The tendrils that had held him in place were quickly recovering from Brian’s attack, licking at the two guardian’s ankles as they fled. 

Sung was there, on the surface as Meouch and Havve stood next to him, weapons formed. “You...oh my gods…” Sung was at a loss. “You found something.”

“Someone,” Meouch corrected. “That’s a someone.”

“EITHER WAY, WE NEED TO LEAVE. IMMEDIATELY.” Havve sounded about as worried as Brian had ever heard him. The surface of the planet was shaking, cracking apart as the maelstrom raged for the loss of its last meal.

Brian started for his shuttle, only hesitating for a moment before carefully settling the boy next to him. 

“Wait, Brian, shouldn’t we put him with Phobos or Sung? He needs a shield-“ Brian shot a patented death glare at the lion, who shrank back. Brian’s sword had dissipated since he had grabbed the boy, and he slammed his cockpit, letting down his quickly fading shield. He gasped for air like he’d just been underwater for a beat too long, but didn’t stop before forming a new shield around the boy. The others glanced at his shuttle in concern before retreating to their own ships as the earth gave them one final warning as it shuddered.

His vision danced with stars and his mouth dried as the shield enveloped the boy, who wasn’t much younger than Brian. He was using too much power, he knew it, but something told him that he had to be the one to keep that light safe- possibly the same something that had called him across a galaxy. The comms lit up as they took off, but no one said a word as they all processed what had just happened.

“Brian,” Sung started, clearly awestruck and horrified, “holy fuck.”

“How is he doing?” Meouch was shaken, and diverting the topic.

The planet was still festering behind them, a pure void now. There was no more call from it, every voice had been silenced in the endless, raging storm. Brian turned to the dying light, who was most certainly dying. He’d seen death first hand, and it was hard not to replay what had happened then as he looked at the broken child. He shook his head sadly, and Phobos softly put a hand over his helmet’s visor. A forlorn silence fell over the group as they all took in what that meant.

“We failed,” Sung intoned quietly, “didn’t we?” He seemed thoughtful, with a spark of hard determination shining in his eyes. “But...this can’t be the end, can it? It...doesn’t have to be.” He chose his words carefully. Brian hated when he got like this. The energetic boy might seem airheaded to those who didn’t know better, but he knew so much more than he let on, billions of years of knowledge stored in his bouncing frame. Brian hated when he got..calculating. Like he knew exactly what to do, and it was just a matter of getting everyone else to understand. But if that was what it took to save this boy, what choice did they have?

Meouch warily eyed his screen. “What are you thinking?” They all knew what would follow that glint in Sung’s eye.

“We bind him.” Sung said simply. 

A full minute must have passed before anyone said anything. “WHAT?!” Meouch nearly yelled. “WE...WE CAN’T DO THAT! THE COUNCIL-“

Havve interjected. “SUNG, THAT...THE COMMANDER IS RIGHT. THE COUNCIL MUST OVERSEE ALL BINDINGS, IT’S THE ONLY SAFE OPTION! THE BOY…” He paused, trying to soften his words. He failed as his voicebox sounded again. “HE WAS MEANT TO DIE HERE. HE WAS MEANT TO DIE ON MOEBIUS, IN THE MAELSTROM. ALL WE’VE DONE BY BRINGING HIM HERE IS PROLONG THE INEVITABLE.”

“But what if we did something? We can stop this! He’s the light that shone so bright that Brian heard him all the way from headquarters. Remember how uneasy he felt?! He can’t be extinguished here, not if we can do something to help him!”

Sometimes Brian forgot that Sung was an empath, and this was one of those times. It wasn’t an ability given by the artifact, it was a natural gift of his species, and Brian hated it. Nobody should be able to feel him but him. Despite this, he was inclined to agree with Sung. The light couldn’t die here, he had already made it so far… He quietly nodded his head, and Sung’s face lit up triumphantly.

“Sung...we can’t do that! He hasn’t trained and the council would have our heads and it might just kill him more slowly!” Meouch was clearly still skeptical. “We could mess something up and he could be trapped in the artifact, or he could burn from all the light, or…” He trailed off, satisfied that he’d made his point. “I don’t want him to die, but...we can’t save him.”

Phobos was staring a bit too intensely into his console. His planet had been taken by Boredom too, Brian recalled, but not in the way Moebius was. The Boredom had been an inconvenience, a minor problem that they’d juggled, until they’d fought it with the first artifact discovered. It had been too much for the first guardians to handle, and they’d burned the planet down in a cleansing fire, a kindly end as the planet crumbled underfoot. Phobos was probably juggling against his instinct to follow the rules of the council, which was formed to prevent such a terrible mistake from repeating, and his medic’s analysis of the boy. He knew as well as Brian did that nothing could heal him other than the artifact’s direct judgement, and he didn’t want the Boredom to take another planet like it had taken his. He eventually glanced up with a nod at Sung, tapping his fingers nervously against his helmet.

Meouch sighed and Havve’s eyes dimmed. “I...I hope you realize what this is going to do to him. Because I don’t quite know myself.”

“SUNG, WE CAN’T STOP YOU, CAN WE?” Havve didn’t wait for a reply. He knew as well as anyone that Sung would do anything to keep a light awake; it was what had lead to his creation, after all. “JUST BE CAREFUL WITH HIM. AND BE PREPARED.”

Sung smiled a bit. “I’m always careful.”

Brian chewed his lip. He couldn’t let someone die like this, not again. He’d been helpless then, and he wouldn’t be made to be that way now. Never again.

They were pulling into the station, and nobody was scheduled to come and intercept them. There were far more important crews to attend to than five new guardians on their first mission. They might be able to slip into the artifact room unnoticed, if they were careful about it...maybe. Hopefully.

Brian got out of his shuttle apprehensively, boy in his arms. The healing shield he’d put up was starting to fade- his shield work was never the best, and he considered that he might have to swallow his pride and let someone else take the kid from him. Phobos saw him struggling a bit and walked over, arms out to take the boy from him. Brian reluctantly gave him up, and his shield finally flickered out as Phobos picked up where he’d left off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now I have to actually start writing chapters lol, if I drop the regular uploads I’m sorry, history fair is a bitch


	4. Wandering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew sneaks around.

The halls were quiet, so quiet that their footsteps echoed off the walls, but Brian was still anxious. Someone could find them, and if that happened, what would they do? He’d always had a penchant for stealth, most people didn’t even notice his presence if he wasn’t pointed out, but when he was with what looked like a glowing corpse he suspected that simply blending in wouldn’t work.

Phobos’ shield was casting a soft light along the walls, which was good, because Sung was leading them down a fairly dark hallway. Brian didn’t even remember coming here at all, which was strange. He’d made a point to explore as much as possible. He cast a questioning glance at Sung, who turned to Havve, unshaken.

“Keep a lookout for us, okay?” He whispered. The cyborg’s eyes flickered twice, signaling a yes, and he stepped carefully to the side of the hall, where a door was visible in the slate gray walls. “Nobody ever comes back here, we should be okay, but- just in case.”

Sung silently took the boy from Phobos, who looked a little surprised by this, but kept his shield up. Brian tensed as he continued down the hall, towards a dead end. Where was he going? He gently ran his fingers along the wall, tongue stuck between his teeth in concentration.

Brian was about to go over to help the pair when Sung pressed down on the wall’s sleek surface with his left palm, his other arm occupied with the boy’s body. Phobos gave him a confused look, to which he shrugged, but to both of their shocks, the wall began to change. It opened up into a large atrium, tall and round.

This place, Brian had been to. They’d all been here. It was where they were bound to become guardians, and now they were breaking every rule ever to save this boy and bind him, just like they’d been. How Sung had found a secret entrance was entirely beyond him, and it must have showed on his face, because in spite of the serious situation, Sung grinned. “Finally found something that you didn’t know about, eh?”

Brian crossed his arms sullenly.

Phobos cleared his throat and motioned his head toward the binding room. Sung looked over at him, seeming to suddenly remember what they were doing. Being this close to the crystal again was invigorating, and they could all feel its energy reaching for them. Part of the reason this was so dangerous to do without supervision was because the crystal was hungry, just as the Boredom was- it’d burn you up in a heartbeat if you didn’t know how to handle it. 

The golden light of the room was spreading out, seeming to grasp at the air around it. Havve left his post to look out at it, concerned. “WE HAVE TO HURRY, NOW, BEFORE ANYONE NOTICES IT ACTING UP.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right.” Sung stepped into the room, and the others followed.

Except they didn’t.

The wall melted shut behind Sung, locking the others out and making Phobos bump his helmet hard. “SUNG?” Havve called, as loudly as he dared. “WHAT…?”

No response.

•

Sung didn’t expect the wall to shut. He really didn’t. But in a day where Brian went apeshit and decided to brave a storm of Boredom for no clear reason, this probably wasn’t too much of a stretch. He spun as the sound of the hall outside was cut off immediately, just in time to see the view of it also cut off and meld into a uniform gray surface once more. 

“What the fuck…? Guys?” He walked up to the wall and kicked it, seeing if it would reopen. Nothing. This kid was getting really heavy, and the light in his chest was rapidly fading. He wouldn’t have time to go back.

“Shit. Okay. I guess I’m doing this alone, then. That’s...fine. I can figure it out, right?” His whole plan had hinged on the others being present and able to help. He would have to figure it out or be responsible for this boy’s death. 

He was too close to the artifact, he could feel it. You were only supposed to get this close when receiving a link with it, but he’d have to get closer in order to link the boy to it. It was so hot, its light pouring over him like a sunburn on a beach.

The boy’s light was leaving, and Phobos’ shield had faded when the passage had closed. No turning back now.

Praying that this worked, Sung shut his eyes and reached out to the artifact, placing his hand on the side of the crystal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter, it’s the first one I wrote recently and I COULDN’T for the LIFE of me work up any motivation this week lmao
> 
> SORRY Y’ALL I SWEAR I’LL GET BETTER AT THIS


	5. Notice!

Hey guys! I’m super sorry to say this but I think I’m not gonna continue this story. I know some of you guys have been liking it, but I got so tired and busy with other things that I stopped updating. I just don’t have the time to go up into the mountains and power through reading a novel before writing 2 thousand words anymore! I went a while without working on this and I know it’s super frustrating to see a story that you like discontinue before the end, but uh, I cannot for the life of me remember what I was gonna do with it? I know it was gonna be super super long, and who knows— maybe I’ll regain my motivation down the line! But for now, I think this story is at a close, or at least a hiatus. Sorry for vanishing for six months! I’m a coward when it comes to having conviction. Stay safe out there, everyone, and I’m sorry again! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting, it really does make me feel better.

-Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ❤️❤️❤️❤️

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaahhh! This is my first fic on AO3, and it’s a little AU I dreamed up after talking about Starbomb’s origins. Starbomb unfortunately drifted out of this AU, but I think it’ll be pretty cool if I ever get my shit together and finish it. Thanks for reading this chapter!


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